Welcome Home
by freedomatthesea
Summary: "Emma finds out on the night of their welcome back party that it was also Hook's birthday".


_askrizpossible on Tumblr requested: "Emma finds out on the night of their welcome back party that it was also Hook's birthday"_.

Note: This little drabble became a one-shot. There are **no more** parts to this.

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_Welcome Home_

"Emma, lass," Killian caught her elbow, his head ducked down as he pulled her aside, "I think I'm going to go ahead and leave." He looked up to her face briefly, before starting to turn away.

"Wait, wait, why?" Emma caught his arm, keeping him from leaving. Her eyes searched his face, quickly realizing that something had upset him. He had that same confused, dejected look that she recalled from the beanstalk. "Did someone say something to you?"

"No." Killian shook his head, blinking his eyes slowly, "It's not that… I just…" He looked up at the banner that hung over the counter of the diner, where all the food lay beneath it. _Welcome Home Mary Margaret, Emma, David, and Henry!" _It was a patch work banner, added on to from when they'd come back from the Enchanted Forest.

But they'd left him out.

Emma followed his gaze, her brows creasing together when she saw what he was looking at. "Hey, that doesn't matter. You're here and that matters to _me_." She smiled warmly at him, willing him to stay. "We couldn't have saved Henry without you." She was fully aware of the fact that the town didn't trust him, but she trusted him and that was all that mattered in her opinion. They were still toeing around whatever it was between them and she figured if he left now – even if it was just leaving the party, there was a chance that he was leaving for good.

That was how things worked out in her life. People left.

Killian scratched the back of his neck, "It's not just that Emma." He inhaled deeply, his shoulders sagging as he exhaled. "Forget it, it's stupid. I think I should just head out for the night."

"You're part of _this_ Killian. You can't just run out now." Emma tilted her head, looking up into his eyes. "They'll come around to you. I promise you." He had come back all of those weeks ago, when they faced being killed – but she worried that now that they were back and there was no major danger, he wouldn't fit in the way she imagined him fitting in.

"It's my birthday." He muttered under his breath, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. "It's not like anyone knew that it was." Killian's brows creased together, "It's not important."

"No, it _is_ important Killian. I-.. I wish you'd told me." Emma pressed her lips together tight, "I'm going to go tell Granny to put candles on the _Welcome Home _cake."

"Please don't," Killian moved to step in front of her path, knowing full well that they were making a scene in the middle of the party. "No one cares if it's my birthday, lass. They don't even care that I'm back. I'm sure the lot of them wished I'd vanish in Neverland." His voice was hollow, hurt – despite his protesting.

"I _care_ and I care that you came back with us." Emma said firmly, meeting his eyes. "You're getting candles and you're going to get a birthday wish."

"I only have one birthday wish Emma." Killian said quietly, his hand finding her hand when she started to walk away again. "I don't think I'm going to get that wish anytime soon, but wishing on a birthday cake isn't going to make it happen any sooner."

Emma squeezed his hand, feeling her mother's eyes on her. "How do you know?" She was determined to celebrate _his_ day.

"You might be perceptive lass, but I know how my life always goes."

"Yeah?" A hint of frustration bled into her voice. "Well, I _knew_ how my life always went. People left me. But then, one day, you came back. I don't know what your reasoning was, I don't _care_ actually, but you came back."

Killian swallowed thickly, holding her blue eyes with his. "I came back because it was my second chance at this." He nodded his head towards the banner.

"Is that what your wish would be then?" Emma questioned, knowing full well that it wasn't. She had a pretty damn good idea what it was that he wanted.

"No." Killian arched a brow upwards when she took a step towards him. "Lass, people are staring."

"So?" So be it if the world was watching, it wasn't the first – nor the last – time that they'd felt like the only two in a crowded room. "If you let me tell them that it's your birthday, I _promise_ that your wish will come true."

Killian swallowed shakily, disbelieving her, but willing to give it a chance. "Alright, love."

"Thank you." Emma gave him a small smile, before she left him to find Granny. She was determined. He had to give her that.

"What was all of that about?"

"That," Killian crouched down so he was the same height as Henry as he spoke to him, " Was your mother being her stubborn self."

Henry scrunched up his nose, "I thought you two were going to _kiss_." He made a disgusted expression, before looking past Killian's shoulder. "Mom's got a cake with candles on it. Who's birthday is it?"

"Mine." He looked over his shoulder, a smile creasing his features.

Henry nearly knocked Killian off of his feet when he wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you lad." Killian patted his back, his eyes closing as he savored the brief embrace – knowing that this was what he _could_ have. This family.

"Come here Killian." Emma called from behind the counter, beckoning for the pirate to join her by the cake. He rose to his full height, striding towards her. Everyone looked genuinely surprised by the change of events, but he could still feel their disapproving glares. He had made mistakes and they judged him, still, for it.

His heart was beating a mile a minute beneath his chest as everyone in the diner started singing to him – wishing him, no matter if they were honest or not, a happy birthday. The effort that Emma had shown to try to make him important was enough for him. He'd spent three hundred of these days _alone_ and even if they didn't care, he wasn't _alone_.

"Make your wish." Emma reminded him, her hand resting on his back, stroking it up and down slowly.

Killian's eyes fluttered closed as he leaned forward and blew the candles out. Making his wish. He opened his mouth to make a smartass comment about his wishes never coming true, but Emma cut him off. It took him by surprise – it took her friends and family by surprise. Emma pressed her lips against his, more desperate than perhaps she should have been, to kiss him.

"Happy birthday, Captain." Emma whispered with a breathless laugh when she pulled back from his lips. Her arms were still slung over his shoulders, her body pressed close to his. "Was that your wish?"

"Yes." Killian smiled, a genuine and happy smile – a look that only Emma could bring to his face.

The door to the diner swung open, Gold lurching inside with the aid of his cane. "He's alive."

"What?" Emma questioned, pulling away from Killian, but keeping close to his side. "Who's alive?"

"My son." Gold clenched his fist tighter around the end of his cane, "He's alive and you're going to help me find him."

"I already did that once." Emma felt Killian tense beside her and she reached for his hand, concealed behind the counter. Even if Neal was alive – it didn't change _anything_ that she had started to realize she felt for Killian. "Find your son _yourself_."

"Mom?" Henry's voice was as confused as Emma felt, "I thought you said he died."

"He-.. He was shot and he fell through a portal, what I was I supposed to think?" Emma's shoulder sank. She thought that it was _over_, that she could move on – start again. With the pirate beside her, the man who's fingers intertwined with hers like they were made to.

"I will make a deal with you, if you agree to help me find him again Miss Swan." Gold smiled, that cruel and cynical smile. "What will the price be?"

"You have Killian's hand." Emma said firmly, glancing quickly to her side to see Killian, before she trained her eyes on the Dark One. "Reattach it and I'll _help_ you find your son again."

"Emma, don't make a deal with him." Killian pressed, his voice strained as he squeezed her hand tighter, not wanting to let go of her again. "Never make a deal with the devil."

"I have to." Emma said quietly, meeting his eyes. "Think of this… as your birthday present."

Killian shook his head, "No. This proves that I can't have what I _want_." He said just as quietly, trying to keep the conversation between the two of them. "I want a family Emma… But there's always a reason I can't have it."

Emma scoffed, "Even if we find Neal, do you honestly think I want him where you are right now?"

"He's Henry's father."

"Regina's Henry's 'mother' too, but do you see her here? It's about who I _choose_. There are some people who are there in your life because they have to be – Regina and Neal both deserve to be in Henry's life – but you… You're who I choose to be in his life. You saved him."

It wasn't the time or the place to kiss again, but the looks in their eyes, the way their gazes fell to their lips and back up again, said it all. A kiss without touching. It was going to have to be enough to satisfy them until they could be alone, if even for a few minutes.

"It's a deal, Gold." Emma said as she turned to face the miser. "I'll help you find Neal, so long as you return Killian's hand _first_." She had seen the hand when she'd first went to his shop and only recently had she pieced together who it had belonged to.

"It's a deal Miss Swan."


End file.
